Triploidy (117,XXX) in a stillborn canine pup conceived with frozen semen.

Analysis of skin fibroblast cultures from a deformed stillborn female Alaskan Malamute pup revealed a 3n = 117,XXX (normal, 2n = 78,XX) chromosome count. The triploid pup was delivered by cesarean section 5 days after estimated date of parturition, because the bitch failed to start labor. The bitch had been inseminated with thawed frozen semen deposited into the lumen of the uterus approximately 4 days after ovulation. Gross anatomic abnormalities of the pup included omphalocele, diaphragmatic hernia, persistent right aortic arch, atresia ani, and no right forelimb distal to the scapula. The pup also had arthrogryposis of the left carpus, kyphosis of the thoracic vertebrae, widely separated cranial sutures, open fontanelles, hydrocephalus, and cleft palate. Suspected cause of the triploidy was dispermy of an aged oocyte after intrauterine deposition of the thawed frozen semen. Numeric chromosome abnormalities may be causes of fetal deformity or death that can be detected by fetal karyotype.